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First Steam Engine
In 1712, Thomas Newcomen worked with John Calley to create the first steam engine. The engine was stationary, and was used to power a mineshaft. This was the major breakthroughin engine technology, although Newcomen did not recieve most of the credit; James Watt, who perfected the portable steam engine, in 1775, did, however. James Watt perfected the steam engine, making it portable, so that it could be used for boats and locomotives. -
French Revolution
On May 5, 1789, The Estates General meeting was held in Paris, France. Three Estates were established: The Clergy, The Nobles, and the rest of the population - mostly peasants. The Third Estate then held the Tennis Court Assembly, was the starting point of the French Revolution. Over the next years, the citizens of France would slowly tear apart the French Government, and even executed the King and Queen in 1793. In 1799, Napoleon ended the revolution by leading the Coup d'etat. -
Haitian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution began in 1789, as the French slaves were fed up from the French rule. In 1791, the official war began-over 55,000 rebels fought against the slightly smaller Haitian army. The Haitian Rebels eventually won the war, in 1803, and Haiti be came an independent country. -
Independence of Mexico
On September 16, 1810, Miguel Hidalgo rung the Church Bell, which signaled the start of a revolution. The Mexican Revolution lasted for 11 years, until Mexico finally won Independence. Mexico has been an independent country since then, almost 200 years later. This was Spain's major colony, meaning that Spain lost a good deal of workers and income. -
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna and was held in Vienna, Italy. It was held to determine solutions for issues that had arised during the Frrench Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. The four major European countries in attendance were Austria, The United Kingdom, Russia, and Prussia. A document settling many land controversies and country disputes. The conference officially ended on June 9, 1815. -
First Opium War
The 1st Opium War was fought between the United Kingdom and the Qing Dynasty of China. Issues arose in the early 1800s when the British stopped trading silver and moved to Opium. An estimated 2 million Chinese citizens became addicted to Opium from 1821-1837. The Chinese army was defeated very easily within the next three years, and as a result, Hong Kong was given to the British. the 1st Opium War marked the beginning of a period of despair for China; 1/3 of the pop. became addicted to Opium. -
Communist Manifesto
IN 1848, Karl Marx teamed up with Friedrich Engles to propose the idea of Communism, a government based on equality of the people, where the government owns most of the country's goods. This book changed the lifestyles of billions of people to come (in Russia and China) and woul;d turn out to be a failed system when not run properly by the Government. This theory can lead to nationwide poverty, as what happened to Russia and China in the 20th century. -
Matthew Perry goes to Japan
In 1852, Matthew Perry of the U.S. Navy sailed to Japan in an attempt to open Japan to Western Trade. This was a very bold idea; Japan's shores had been closed for nearly 400 years to Western Civilization. When he arrived the next year, he presented a document which discussed trading affairs. He the left and returned in March of 1854, when the document was signed. This created a lasting trade of America with Japan for many years, and allowed Japan to open up to other countries more willingly. -
Sepoy Mutiny
The Sepoy Mutiny occurred because of rumors of the British greasing their gun cartridges with cow grease. The cow is a sacred Indian animal, which caused the Ibdians to rebel against the British, and surprisingly took over the cities of New Delhi and Kampur. The Britiish quickly overcame the Indians, though, and reclaimed the cities that had been taken over. This event greatly reduced Indian presence in the British Army and Indians were stereotyped by British in India. -
Unification of Germany
Many problems had been arising up to the Unification of Germany. The problems started as much as 60 years earlier, when the Holy Roman German Empire dissolved during the Napoleonic wars, in 1806. In 1871, the country of Germany finally unified in Northern Europe. This ended many years of conflivt between the European Nations. -
Berlin Conference
In the early 1880s, there was an increasing desire in Europe to take over parts of Africa, due to its' abundance of natural resources. the conference was held in Germany by Otto von Bismark, The First Chancellor of Germany. The goal of the conference was to limit European Colonization in Africa. The intended goal, however, was not reached. In fact, the overall effect of the conference turned out to be negative - European rule over African countries came within 5 years after the conference. -
Russo-Japanese War
In 1804, the Russo-Japanese war started. The goal for both countries was acquiring the peninsula of Korea and parts of Manchuria. The Russians believed thata victory would eliminate the idea of a revolution in Russia, and also thought that there was not a chance of a Japanese victory. The Japanese astounded Russia, though, with a quick series of victories, and greatly damaging the Russian Navy. Through the U.S., an agreement was reached, with Japan being the overall winner. -
Zulu Uprising
The Zulu Uprising occurred in Natal, South Africa. In 1906, British taxers caused an uprising of the colonized citizens, who then revolted. In April of 1906, British forces hunted down Bambatha, who was in his base in a forest. A battle broke out; only about 30 Britsh soldiers were killed, while it is estimated that 3,000-4,000 Zulus were killed. Ghandi was on the side of the British, encouraging his people to enlist in the British reserve army. -
Dr. Sun Yat-sen Takes Over China
In the early 1900s, China was in turmoil from the Opium Wars and the effects that they had on the citizens of China. Sun Yat-sen played a critical role in the overthrowing of the Qing Dynasty and later formed the Republic of China on January 1st, 1912. With the formation of his new political party (The Chinese Nationalist Party), this was the biggest government change that China had ever seen (and possibly the most posiive). Sun Yat-sen, however, was taken over by Yuan just three months later.
